Some science-fiction films and animations depict a future of planet Earth that until recent decades was not very believable. A planet piled entirely with waste that no longer has a trace of forest, sea, ocean and wildlife, and people have migrated to another planet to continue living. But the further we go, such a future becomes more plausible in our view. People's thirst for more and more consumption and, correspondingly, the increase in production of non-recyclable products and goods makes every responsible citizen think. We burn some of this waste, we bury some in the heart of the earth, and we pour some into the oceans. But until when? Inevitably a day will come when the earth's capacity to digest this volume of waste runs out, and if people do not want, like those science-fiction films, to bid farewell to the earth, they must think of a remedy before it is too late.
Plastic; the staple of the toys industry
One of the important industries that apparently makes life more beautiful but in a long-term view has risen up in a war against life is the toys industry. About 90 percent of the world's toys are plastic, and 40 tons of plastic is used annually to produce them. Perhaps the toys industry's turn to petrochemicals was at first an unavoidable path. With ever-increasing demand, wood and metal could no longer cover the volume the market needed. On the other hand, using these materials, unlike petrochemical materials, was not cost-effective. Plastic's capacity to produce diverse, light, flexible and at the same time safe and durable products in the shortest possible time, as well as the ease of molding them in the production process, were other factors that encouraged producers to use petrochemical industries and have still kept them willing. For example, the production of action figures and dolls, which require high flexibility and the design of many details, often relies on PVC. On the other hand, in producing building blocks and large toys, ABS is used to create strength and impact resistance.
The popularity of plastic toys for consumers
Meanwhile, consumers' preferences also cannot be ignored. Plastic toys such as LEGO, action figures, Barbie and the Rubik's Cube have always occupied the top places in global sales charts and have even been placed among the best-selling toys of all time. The Barbie doll, which is the top girls' toy in the world, in 2020 had a value equivalent to 13.4 billion dollars, which peaked with the screening of the Barbie film in 2023. According to Amazon's report, sales of Barbie dolls have increased by 12.5 million dollars. These figures, of course, are pleasing for the toys industry and petrochemicals, which have extensive economic partnership. But for the environment?
Every year 60 million Barbie dolls are sold, which causes greenhouse gas emissions equivalent to burning 381 million gallons of gasoline. Barbie is on the list of the hundred most influential people in the world who have never existed in reality. So it is not surprising that even this doll character's consumption pattern is imitated. In just one example, the renewed rise in Barbie's popularity has also increased demand for Barbiecore clothes by 44 percent. Pink Barbiecore clothes are also produced using petrochemical industries and are single-use. These clothes, which are not recyclable, quickly enter nature for disposal and leave irreversible environmental effects.
With a systemic view and a cost-benefit calculation through this lens, can we still say that using petrochemical industries in the toys industry is cost-effective?
The environmental footprint of toys
To understand the environmental footprint of toys we must look at the story of their life from beginning to end. The production stage includes the extraction and refining of raw materials including oil and natural gas so that the polymers used in the toys industry are obtained. Polyethylene, polypropylene and PVC are the most common types of plastic in toy production. According to the report of the Global Petrochemicals database, the two polymers polyethylene and propylene make up 60 percent of the petrochemicals used in the toys industry. The production process of these polymers not only increases the amount of greenhouse gases, it also accelerates the depletion of non-renewable resources.
After that, toys enter the consumption stage. We are often unaware of the effect of the microplastics used in plastic toys on human health. According to the report of the Technical University of Denmark, among 419 chemical substances present in plastic toys, 126 substances are dangerous to human health. These elements can affect brain development and the immune system and increase the probability of cancer in children.
The lifespan of toys varies depending on different factors. Some of them are short-lived and some continue their life to the point of being passed from hand to hand among several generations. But in any case they ultimately enter the disposal phase, and this stage is a major environmental challenge. 80 percent of all toys are either transferred to landfill sites or poured onto the surface of the oceans. Toys make up 6 percent of all landfill plastics, which means that besides the stage of coming into being, they also release a considerable amount of toxic gas at the stage of being destroyed. These toys, whether they disappear through burial and in the process of decomposing or through being burned, in both cases release toxic vapors and increase the amount of carbon in the atmosphere. The rest that are thrown into the oceans are stored right there and bring about the death of marine ecosystems or climate crises. Given that plastics present in the oceans are estimated at between 75 and 199 million tons, this subject is dangerous. Annually only about 1 million seabirds and 100 thousand marine animals lose their lives as a result of plastic pollution.
What is the solution?
The use of petrochemical industries in the toys industry, given its environmental hazards, is considered a global challenge. However, consumer preferences are an important factor that creates regional diversity in the amount of petrochemical industries consumed. Because from a technological standpoint it is possible to replace plastic with more sustainable materials, but what constrains producers is the increase in production cost and, following that, the increase in the price of toys. Therefore emerging economies, which often face greater demand for cheap toys, show greater dependence on petrochemical industries.
Despite this, government laws and oversight can encourage producers to use innovative methods. In fact the government must require industries and companies to be accountable for their environmental effects. According to the World Economic Forum report, 68 percent of countries across the world have implemented policies to regulate single-use plastics. European Union directives such as REACH (Registration, Evaluation, Authorization and Restriction of Chemicals) directly affect the materials used in toy production.
Some large toy companies have also implemented solutions to reduce plastic consumption. For example, plastic packaging is one of the most important factors in producing plastic waste in the toys industry, which the LEGO company has replaced with recycled paper bags in order to prevent it. The Mattel company has also taken action to shrink the plastic windows on boxes or to eliminate them entirely. Also some brands such as LEGO and Green Toys produce toys using recycled plastics that reduce their carbon footprint and prevent the production of new plastics. LEGO has recently made new bricks using recycled PET plastic that is often used for soda bottles. Also in 2018 it began using bio-polyethylene for some LEGO pieces. Bio-PE is a soft, durable and flexible plastic derived from Brazilian sugarcane. The carbon footprint of this renewable bioplastic, in each piece, is 20 percent lower than that of plastic blocks.
Raising consumers' awareness and strengthening their individual responsibility toward the environment can also bring good results for nature and the planet. Refusing consumerism, replacing plastic products with other toys, expanding the culture of gifting toys instead of storing them at home, or even buying second-hand toys are other paths that every responsible citizen, independently of governments and industries, can take to turn the earth into a better place to live.
Summary
The toys industry and petrochemicals have extensive economic partnership. Such that 90 percent of the world's toys are plastic, and about 40 tons of plastic is used annually to produce them. Polyethylene, polypropylene and PVC are the most common types of plastic in toy production, and the first two polymers cover 60 percent of the petrochemicals consumed in this industry. Plastic being more cost-effective than other raw materials, as well as plastic's capacity to produce diverse, light, flexible and at the same time safe and durable products in the shortest possible time, and also the ease of molding it in the production process, are the most important factors that at first encouraged producers to use petrochemical industries and have still kept them willing. Unaware that the main cost of producing plastic toys is paid by the environment. Given the environmental effects of plastic toys, many governments have set policies to regulate plastic consumption. Also some large toy companies have taken action to use sustainable materials and innovative production methods.
The most important challenge that constrains the use of sustainable materials in the toys industry especially in developing countries is the high cost of production and, following that, the increase in the final price for the consumer. In fact consumers' preferences play an important role in directing the mode of production in the industry. Raising consumers' awareness and individual responsibility toward the environment on the one hand, and requiring toy companies to be accountable for their environmental footprint on the other, can play an important role in reducing plastic consumption for toy production.
Machine-translated from Persian by Namafar; the Persian original is authoritative. Read the original in Persian